Losin' It

構成数 : 1
合計収録時間 : 00:28:43
Personnel: Eden Fineday (vocals, guitar). Audio Mixers: Colin Stewart; Jesse Gander . Recording information: The Hive Creative Labs (03/25/2005-03/28/2005). The first cut on Vancougar's debut album Losin' It is a pure blast of hooky pop-punk called "Mine First" about that band you loved before anyone else did, and it's so much fun you might get the idea this is another bunch of gals who can skillfully play the "cute indie ladies playing hooky stuff" card. But listen a little longer and deeper and it becomes clear Vancougar are made of stronger stuff than that, and Losin' It is a pretty terrific rock & roll record. Vocalist and guitarist Eden Fineday is a promising talent on both counts; her singing carries considerable melodic and emotional weight, and if her fretwork isn't flashy, it's strong and fills the spaces with just the right balance of noise and tunefulness. Megan Johnson's keyboards are a superb foil for Fineday's six-string attack, and the frantic codas on "Down on Me" and "Way It's Gon' Be" are genuinely inspired noise. Bassist Becca Stewart and drummer CC Rose are a kick-ass rhythm section who can sway on the poppier tunes and lay down the law on harder stuff with equal skill, and the group harmonies are sharper and more skillful than you'd expect. As good as the band is, the songs are the real pleasant surprise on this disc; this sure isn't the first band to write about the travails of grade school, upended relationships or painful insecurity, but Vancougar put a spin on their material that's fresh, honest and indicative of songwriters with imagination and fierce passion, and the melodies are every bit as memorable as the words. (And "Credit Tard" is quite likely the first great rock song about prudent money management.) Don't be fooled by the playful exterior of Losin' It -- Vancougar are fun, but they're also a rock band that genuinely delivers the goods, and this debut album makes it clear that they are a band to watch. ~ Mark Deming